Hyksos

American  

[hik-sohs, -sos] / ˈhɪk soʊs, -sɒs /

noun

1. a nomadic people who conquered and ruled ancient Egypt between the 13th and 18th dynasties, c1700–1580 b.c.: believed to have been a Semitic people that originally migrated into Egypt from Asia.

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Hyksos British  

/ ˈhɪksɒs /

noun

1. a member of a nomadic Asian people, probably Semites, who controlled Egypt from 1720 _bc until 1560 _bc

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Etymology

Origin of Hyksos

1595–1605; < Greek Hyksṓs, perhaps < Egyptian ḥg ( ʾ ) ruler + h̬ʾst foreign land

Example Sentences

Today they are more commonly called Hyksos, a Greek corruption of this Egyptian name.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

After the Hyksos were defeated and the Nile delta recaptured, the emboldened Egyptians turned their attention south to Kush, eventually extending their control over these regions as well.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The first kings of the Egyptian New Kingdom drove out the Hyksos and extended their own influence into Nubia.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Egypt’s relative isolation meant that it had never needed to develop more advanced weapons, a fact that the Hyksos were able to take advantage of, belatedly bringing the large-scale use of bronze with them.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

For example, in 1674 B.C., horses even enabled a foreign people, the Hyksos, to conquer then horseless Egypt and to establish themselves temporarily as pharaohs.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond